Traditionally resin and fatty acids which naturally occur in various forms during the manufacturing of pulp and paper products, provide objectionable features to these processes and effluent waters. Historically, many chemical and mechanical methods have been used to remove, bind or inactivate these compounds. One such example of a method for treating pulp and paper waste water is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,750 which discloses the use of a polyamine coagulant which coagulates lignins, degraded sugars and other compounds which typically discolour the waste water. The coagulation particles are increased in size by the addition of an acrylamide polymer. The flocculated material is then removed from the waste water. The use of acrylamides in effluent flocculation is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,536,294.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,089,780 discloses a method for removing colour from pulp and paper waste waters by first treating the waste water with a cationic water-soluble polyamine and thereafter adding a suitable organic coagulating polymer.
The specific problem of removing toxic resin and fatty acids from the waste water of a pulp and paper mill has been addressed in Canadian Patent Application 2,023,735. The process, of this patent application, utilizes a composition comprising a water-soluble non-ionic polyalkylene ether containing lower alkyl groups in the alkyl chain and an ionic water-soluble polymer. However, the results achieved by this method show, at the very best, a 37% removal of the resin acid after treatment. In order to be an effective waste water treatment process, improved results over that shown in the prior art must be achieved.